Button clamp for button-attaching machines



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,528

. R. L. LYONS BUTTON CLAMP FOR BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,528

R. L. LYONS BUTTON CLAMP FOR BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1923 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k Ea /aw: JiWWZZLQZ m w a j y @Zlijm 45 the larger buttons.

Patented ea. e, was.

u ire tines ROBERT LYONS, OF WALTHA'M, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T FREDERICK OSANN COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y.',

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BUTTON CLAMP FOR'IBUTTON-ATTACHING MACHINES.

I Application filed October 1'2, 1923. Serial no. 668,060.

In button attaching machines it is usual to employ a button clamp having resiliently closed aws engageable with the edge of the button, these jaws being adjustably spaced so 5 that buttons of different sizes may be readily inserted or removed therefrom by the operator. This clamp is movable toward and from the surface of the work and When moved against the work holds it for the attaching operation. After the button has been attached the clamp is raised, releasing the work, and the button is then pulled from the clamp. In order that buttons of different sizes may be accommodated, the extent to which the clamp-- ing aws are ermitted to close when no button is in posi ion may be limited so that the button may be readily inserted, and should it be later desired to fasten a button of different size it has heretofore been necessary to adjust this closing limit to suit the, different size by a somewhat slow manual adjustment or to open the button clamp by hand each time a button of a larger sizeis to be inserted.

As the same garment often requires buttons of two or more sizes it has heretofore been necessary for the machine operator to adjust the clamp quite frequently which is both time consuming and annoying, or-else to partially complete the attaching of the buttons by fastening those of one size only on a series of garments, and then to rehandle the garments and attach the buttons of another size, the number of times which each garment is handled conforming to the number of different'sizes of buttons to be sewed thereon.

The objectof this invention is to avoid the necessity of making such manual adjustment and to permit all the buttons of whatever size to be attached to each garment at one han This is done by setting the opening of dling.

' the jaws for the smallest button and providing means by which the operator by a convenient motion, as of the clamp raising P treadle may open the jaws wider to receive For a more complete understanding of this invention, together with further objects and advantageous details and combinations of parts, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which a; Figure 1 is aside elevation of a button sewmachine showing the button clamp in position.

Figure 2 1s a fragmentary plan of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail in perspective of the opening mechanism.

Figure 4 is a detail in perspective of another portion of the same.

Figure 5 is a sectional detail of a limit stop.

Figure 6. is a view similar to a portion of Figure 1 but showing a modified construction.

igure 7 is a front elevation of the same showing the same modification.

Figure 8 is a, detail in perspective showing mating elements of the clamp-opening mechanism of Figures 6 and 7 Figure9 is a fragmentary inverted plan of the button clamp showing the relation of the clamping elements.

As shown more. particularly in Figure 1, the machine comprises a supporting'frame 1 carrying thereon a machine head 2. This head is formed with a forwardly extending table-portion 3 on which the work is supported. Extending upwardly from the rear of the portion 2 is a hollow post 4 having a forwardly extending arm 5 for supporting the needle guide bar housing 6, this housing being positioned above the table portion 3' in the usual manner. The upper face of this table portion carries a work supporting plate 7 on which the work to which the button is to I be sewed is carried during the sewing operation. The button to be attached thereto is carried by a clamping mechanism indicated generally at 8, this mechanism being arranged to clamp a button while it is raised somewhat from the surface of the work and to then be lowered to bring the button down againstthe work and to hold the work against the face of the work plate during the sewing operation in the usual well known manner.

A's herein shown this button clamp comprises a supporting plate 10 to the under face of which are ivoted, as at 11, the rear ends of a pair of utton clamping elements 12.

These elements have their forward ends downwardly turned as at 13 and have their opposite faces formed to engage the button. Cooperating with these elements 12 is a third clamping element Mfixed to or integral with a slide plate 15. This slide plate has 'a portion mounted to slide in a slot 16 in the plate 10' and is provided with a pair ofinclined slots 17 within which ride guide pins or screws 18, one of these pins or screws being fixed to each of the arms 12. By this construction sliding of the plate 15 acts to .move

the elements 12 simultaneously so that all the clamping elements are moved in unison either toward or from each other to clamp or release a button therebetween. The slide plate 15 is normally held in its forward position in which the button clamping elements are in clamping relation by means of a spring 19 surrounding a plunger rod 20 which bears at its forward end against the rear edge of the plate 15. This plunger rod and the spring 19 may be housed within a tube 21 made fast at its forward end to a piece 22 bridging the rear end of the guide slot 16. .The tension of the spring 19 may be adjustedby means of a thumb screw 23 threaded through the rear end of the tube 21 and which may be fixed in adjusting position by means of a check nut 24. By this means the pressure exerted by the clampmg elements on the button may be adjusted.

This button clamp may be lowered or raised to clamp or release the work between it and the work plate and to present or remove the button relative to the work, and for this purpose it is shown as attached to an L-shaped arm 25 which may be pivoted as at 26 to the frame portion 2 adjacent the forward face of the post 4. By swinging the button clamp about this pivot 26 as a center, it is evident that it may be raised or lowered as may be desired. Means may be provided for normally,

pressing the clamp toward the work table.

As shown this means comprises a leaf spring 27 made fast at its rear end, as at 28, to the forward face of the post 4 and having its forward free end bearing on the arm 25.

For the purpose of raising the clamp when desired, a pull chain 30 is shown as attached at its lower end to a bracket 31 madefast to the forward end. of the arm 25, the upper end of this chain being attached as by means of a screw 32 to the outer end of an arm 33 fixed to the forward end of a rock shaft 34, which as shown is jouriialed in bearings 35 within the frame arm 5.- This rock shaft may be rocked by the operator, for this purpose an arm 36 bein shown as made fast thereto between the bearings 35, this arm having pivoted to its extremity the upper end of a rod 37. This rod extends through a portion 38 of the machine head 2 which is perforated for the pur- I pose, and at its lower end is fixed thereto the upper end of a chain 39 which may extend to a treadle or any other suitable member which may be moved by the operator to pull the chain downwardly. The extent to which the clamp may be raised may be adjustably deter-' mined by means of a collar 40 adjustable lengthwise of the rod 37 and which is adapted to be brought down against the upper face of the frame .portion 38, as shown in Figure 5, and so limit the downward motion of this rod. The limiting of the motion of this rod also performs another function as will later appear, since it may be utilized to adjust the limit of opening movement of the button clamping elements.

The opening of the jaws is so adjusted that the smallest button to be sewed may be readily pushed into position therebetween or removed therefrom, and mechanism has been provided by which the operator may readily open the jaws wider to receive a larger button without disturbing this adjustment. As herein shown this increased opening may be conveniently effected by depression of the clamp raising treadle beyond a predetermined oint, depression of the treadle to that point eing sufficient to release the work and to break the thread after a button has been attached and to permit the insertion of the work and button for asubsequent attaching operation in the usuaLmanner. This predetermined point to which the clamp is raised before the jaws are opened wider than the space for which they are set is the normal limit of raising movementat which the buttons of the size for which the jaws are set are inserted and removed' therefrom, movement of the jaws beyond this limit being effected only when a larger button is to be sewed. One form of such mechanism by which this may be accomplished is disclosed in Figures 1 to 4. Referring to these figures, it will be noted that the sliding plate 15 has fixed therein a screw 45. which extends through a slot 46 in the plate 10, the head of this screw 45, as at 47 riding over the upper surface of this plate. It is evident, therefore, that by moving this screw head rearwardly the plate 15 is slid rearj is a yoke frame 49 beneath which the head 47 1t may slide. .At the central portion of this yoke fr me are a pair of spaced upwardly extendin lugs 50 between which is pivoted on a pin 51 a substantially triangular shaped lever block 52, the pivot extending through the perforation 53 therein adjacent one of its corners. The lower corner 54 of this block forming one of the lever'arms thereof, is shaped to engage the forward edge of the head 47 of the screw 45 while the upwardly extending corner 55 projects above the lugs 50 and when the button clamp is raised impinges against the lower face of the frame arm 5. This impingement is forward of the of the clamp after this lever has impinged on the frame portion 5 acts to depress the corner 55 thereof, rocking the lever about the pin 51 and forcing the lower corner 54 thereof pivot 51 so that continued upward movement inwardly against the head 47 of the screw 45,

thus forcing the plate 15 rearwardly and separating the clamping elements as above described.

For the purpose of adjusting the opening;

of the jaws to the size of the smallest button which it is desired to attach, the forward end of the yoke 49 extends laterally across the forward edge of the lever block as shown at 60 and opposite this block it has threaded therein a set screw 61 preferably having a knurled head as at 62 to facilitate its manual adjustment. The rear end of this set screw projects toward the forward face of the lever block and limits the forward motion of the lower end 54 thereof, thus limiting the forward movement of the head 47 of the screw and thus the closing movement of the clamping elements. The extent of opening movement of the clamping elements to receive the larger buttons is limited by the length of the slot 46 in which the screw 15 rides and by the amount to which the corner of the lever block projects above the ends of the lugs 50, the position of these lugs determining the extreme limit of raising movement of the clamp. The collar 40, however, furnishes an additional limiting means which is adjustable in extent, the other means for this purpose being no'nadjustable and dependent entirely on the proportions of the parts.

In Figures 6, 7 and 8, a modified construction has been illustrated. In this form of the mechanism the screw 45 also retains against the upper face of the plate 10 an L-shaped piece 70 which slides lengthwise of the slot in the plate 10 with the screw, but is prevented from detachment by the head 50 thereof. The forward end'of this piece 70 which is upwardly turned terminates at its upper end in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined face 71 i which is adapted .to contact with any of a series of similarly formed faces 72 on the lower edge of a block 73 made fast to the lower face of the frame portion 5. These inclined faces 71 and 7 2 are so formed that when the clamp is raised sufficiently the face 71 en gages one of the faces 72 and a continued upward movement causes a sliding engagement therebetween which acts to wedge the piece 7 0 rearwardly as far as permitted by one of the substantially vertical faces 74 intermediate the adjacent faces 72. The series of faces 71 and 74 give a ratchet bar formation to the lower edge of block 73. Where this form of mechanism is used, it is important that the block 73 should be so fixed to the frame portion 5 that when the smallest size of button which it is desired to handle in this machine is clamped between the clamping elements, the piece 7 0 when raised shall be sufficiently far forward of one of the vertical faces 74 as to permit rearward movement thereof into contact with such face to an extent sufiicient to insure an opening movement of the jaws sufliciently to receive the larger button. With this form of button-releasing mechanism other mechanism for limiting the inward motion of the clamping elements to conform to the smallest button is shown, this comprising a set screw 80 threaded through one of the arms 12 preferably in the portion 13 thereof, the end of this screw being positioned to be engaged by the opposite element 12 as these elements move toward each other.

While this invention has been described with particular relation to a machine for attaching buttons by sewing, it is evident that it could also be applied to machines for attaching buttons by staples or other fastening devices, and also that many other objects might be made fast to work by mechanism which would involve the invention herein set forth. It is therefore evident that many changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine of the class described having a. frame, a button clamp comprising a plurality of button-engaging elements relatively movable toward and from each other and as a unit toward and from said frame, a member movable to effect such relative movement, a yoke arranged transversely of the direction of motion of said member, and a lever pivoted on said yoke and having one arm engageable with said member, said lever having another arm positiohed to impinge on said frame on predetermined extent of motion of said button clamp theretoward, further motion of said clamp in the same direction serving to rock said lever to cause said one arm to move said member in a direction to move said elements away from each other.

2. A machine of the class described having a frame, a button clamp comprising a plurality of button-engaging elements relatively movable toward and from each other and as a unit toward and from said frame, a member movable to effect such relative movement, a yoke arranged transversely of the direction of motion of said member, a lever pivoted on said yoke and having one arm engageable with said member. said lever having another arm positioned to impinge onsaid frame on predetermined extent of motion of said button clamp theretoward, further motion of said clamp in the same direction serving to rock said lever to cause said one arm to move said member in a direction to move said elements away from each other, and. adjustable means for engaging said lever to limit its rocking movement in the opposite direction to thereby limit the extent of closing of said elements.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

- ROBERT L. LYONS. 

